Improvement in take-up mechanisms for circular-knitting machines



UNITED STATES PATENT OEEIcEO JOHN LESSELS, OF TROY, NEN/Y YORK, ASSlGNOR TO CLARK TOMPKINS OF SAME PLACE.

IMPROVEMENT IN TAKE-UP MECHANISMS FOR CIRCULAR-KNITTING MACHINES.

Specilication forming part of Letters Patent No. 55,422, dated June 5, 1866.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JOHN LESSELS, ot' Troy, in the county ofRensselaer and State of New York, have invented a new and uset'nl Improvement in the Take-Up Mechanism of Knitting- Machines; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of my invention, reference being had tothe accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l represents an elevation ot' a part of a circular-knitting machine embodying my invention. F i g. 2 represents a transverse section of the saine, and Figs. 3 represents atop view ot' the take-up frame and its appurte nances. l

My invention has ieferenee to the take-up mechanism of circular-knitting machines, and is an improvement upon that patented to Henry Brockway the Sth day of November', 1864.

This improvement consists ot' the combination of the takeup roller that acts upon the work, the screw-shaft that transmits motion to the take-up roller, the vibrating pawl that effects the turning of the screw-shaft, and a movable stop operated by the end wise movement of said screw-shaft, the whole operating in such manner that when' the resistance of the work to be taken up is great enough to cause the screw-shaft to move endwise in its boxes, rather than turn the take-up roller, the said endwise movement places the stop in position to stop the ope 1ation of the vibrating pawl, and thereby stop the rotary movement of the screw-shaft andtakeup roller until the resistance is relaxed, whereupon the stop is withdrawn by the action of a spring or its equivalent and the taking up of the work is resumed.

The apparatus represented in the aecompanyingdrawings embodies my invention; but the knittingcylinder` and its appurtenances are not represented in the drawings, as their construction need not diier from those in common use, and the construction and operation of' such cylinders are well understood.

The take-up mechanism is conveniently connected with the frame of the knitting' mechanism by two standards, A A, which sustain a bridge-tree, R, from which the take-up frame C is suspended, the machine heilig in this example supposed to be an upright machine.

The take -np frame G is suspended from a stud, D, upon which it is turned by the operation of' the knitting mechanism in the usual way. This frame sustains the rough-surfaced take-up roller E, which draws up the work, and the movable roller F, upon which the work is wound, by frictional contact with the takeup roller E.

The take -up roller E has a worm-wheel, g, secured to one ot' its gudgeons, andan upright screw, h, is provided to turn it. This screw is secured to the screw-shaft I, which is supported in boxes jj j?, in which it can both `turn and move eudwise.

The endwise movement of the screw-shaft in a downward direction is limited by the shoulder a ot' its journal bearing against the upper side ot' the lowest box, jl, and the endwise movement ot' the screw-shaft in an upward direction is limited by the contact of a collar, a', with the under side ot' the upper box,j. The screw-shaft is encircled by a helical spring, k, one end of which bears against the boxj, secured to the take-up frame C, and the other end against an adjustable nut, l, secured to the screw-shaft, so that the tendency ot' the spring is to hold the screw-shaft in its highest position with the collar a in contact with the boxj, as seen at Fig. l. The part ot" the screw-shaft which extends above its upper box is fitted with a cog-wheel, m, which gears into a second cog-wheel, u., that is arranged to turn upon a stud, e, secured to the take-up frame C. This second cog-wheel, n, has a ratchet-wheel, b, secured to it that is operated upon by a vibrating pawl, s, the pawl being pivoted to an arm, p, which is arranged to vibrate upon the stud c. The vibrating pawl is actuated by a lever, Q, and a tixed cam, R. The cam R is secured to the stud D, on which the take-up frame turns, and in this example has three'protuberances.

The lever Q, is pivoted to the take-up frame. It has one of its arms connected with the pawlarm p by a rod, t, and it has a friction-roller, a, upon its other arm. This lever is so situated relatively to stationary cam R, secured to the stud D, that its friction-roller a can run upon the cam, and it is borne against the cam bythe spring Iw; hence as the take-up frame is turned upon the stud D as an axis the protuberant parts of the cam R cause the lever Q to vibrate the action of its'screw h upon the worm-wheel g of the take-up roller. Such movement of the parts may be permitted and goes on as long as the resistance of the work being taken up by the take-up roller E does not exceed the force of the spring k. When it exceeds that force the continued turning ofthe screw-shaft causes it to screw itself endwise downward (upon the worm-wheel g) rather than turn the take-up roller. In order that this endwise. movement may be made available for the purpose of stopping the action of the take-up, the portion of" the screw-shaft above its upper bearings is provided with a grooved collar, in which the end ot' a stoplever, z, is engaged. This stop-lever is pivoted to the upper box ofthe screw-shaft, and is caused to vibrate by the endwise movement of' that shaft. Its outer end is close to the hub of the arm p ot' the vibrating pawl s, and a stud, r, is secured to this hub within the range of motion of the arm of the vibrating stop-lever z. Hence, whenever the screwshat't is' caused to move endwise downward by the resistance ot' the work to being taken up, the outer end ot' the stop-lever is brought in position to stop the movement ofthe stud o and ofthe vibrating pawl s, with which it is connected through the arm p,- and this stud is so placed relatively to the pawl s that the stop takes place when the lever Q, and pawl s are in the positions to which they have been moved by one of the protuberances of the cam It. Therefore the lever is prevented from being borne into the depressions of the cam by the spring fw, and consequently its operation by the protuberant parts of the cam, and the operation of the vibrating pawl s, as well as the turning of the screw-shaft I and of the take-up roller E, all stop until the resistance of the work decreases below the force of the spring 7c, whereupon the spring moves the screw-shaft upward to its normal position, thus removing the end of the stoplever z from behind the stud r, as shown in Fig. la, and permitting the cam to operate the lever Qand the vibrating pawl s, and thereupon the taking up of the cloth is resumed.

From the foregoing it will be perceived that the end ofthe stop-lever zconstitutes a movable stop for the take-up mechanism, and that this stop is placed by the endwise movement ofthe screw-shaft(resulting from the increased l resistance of the work) in a position to stop the operation ot' the take-up mechanism until the resistance is relaxed.v It will also be per- -ceived that the stop z is withdrawn by the action of the spring lc (which then restores the screw-shaft to its position) when the resistance of the work to being taken up is relaxed. A spring, c, is provided to press the pawl s against the ratchet-wheel I), and a stationary spring-pawl, f, is provided to prevent any ret rograde movement of the ratchet-wheel I).

What l claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

The combination, in the take-up mechanism ot' a knitting-machine, ot' the following instrumentalities, viz: the take up roller, screw-shaft, (having an endwise movement,) vibrating pawl, and movable stop operated by the screwshaft, all operating substantially as set forth. In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 16th day of April, A. D. 1866.

JOHN LESSELS.

Witnesses:

J. J. TILLINGHAST, J AMES W. Woon. 

